Abstract

Among the maritime states of India, Kerala occupies
foremost position in the production of marine fish. The state contributed about 25% of the annual marine fish landings during the period 1992-96 which was more or less invariant in the last four decades. In the early fifties, the production was of the order of 1.74 lakh tonnes. It increased to 3.72 lakh tonnes in eighties and in nineties it reached 5.44 lakh tonnes. The marine fish production of the country as a whole also showed an increasing trend from 0.6 million tonnea in 1951 to 2.24 million tonnes in 1996. The increase in the production was attributed to the introduction of mechanised boats and improved gears. The rate of growth of fish production in Kerala was higher than that of other maritime states.